


The Wolf

by Ariella1941



Series: Champion and Commander [3]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Study, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-22
Updated: 2016-01-22
Packaged: 2018-05-15 14:06:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5788066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ariella1941/pseuds/Ariella1941
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While hunting slavers in Ferelden's Hinterlands, Fenris witnesses the opening of the Breach.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Wolf

**Author's Note:**

> This is pretty much an exercise to see if I could handle writing Fenris for longer than a couple lines.
> 
> This is set in the Champion and Commander timeline, and is concurrent with Chapter One of Come the Inquisitor.

Fenris warmed himself at the fire of his makeshift camp. Nights in the Hinterlands were cool, and his bedroll thin enough to steal the heat from his body. The discomforts were familiar and easily ignored, but there were other things not so easily cast aside.

_Admit it. You miss them_ , a small but insistent voice said, and it was true. He missed his friends. Even after all this time, knowing he had people who cared for him, who wanted nothing more than his companionship was something of a revelation. But the rumors of slaver activity here, where the Mage Rebellion hit the hardest, had driven him to this place, despite the risks.

Fenris had skirmished with both mages and Templars in the few weeks he had been in the area. Though his distrust of mages had not abated, they were at least honest in their motivation. Most celebrated slipping the Chantry’s leash, and felt Thedas owed them for their time in the Circles. The worst became brigands, preying on the weak.

The Templars did much the same, but cloaked it in righteous fury. They killed as indiscriminately as the mages, comforting themselves that those they murdered might even _possibly_ be supporting the mages. It reminded him of Seheron.

In his mind there was little hope that the Divine’s Conclave would produce some sort of peace, and Fenris found himself wondering what would happen when it failed.

Just as the thought came to him an explosion shattered the night, and the sky turned a sickly green. The blast rattled his bones and burned his eyes. When the dazzling brilliance cleared, Fenris stared with horror at the hole in the sky. One that began to expand as he watched.

The great rift hung over the Frostback Mountains like some putrid wound; leading Fenris to douse the flames and gather up his gear. He needed answers more than he needed sleep, and if what he suspected was true, the Divine’s Conclave _had_ failed. Terribly.

* * *

 

The entire Hinterlands held its breath as things fell from the so-called Breach. The horror continued to expand, devouring the sky as rumors flew about what had caused it.

“It was the Champion who done it!”

Fenris stopped in his tracks, then turned toward the speaker. A peddler gesturing wildly as if to punctuate each gruesome point to a small gathering of women at the Crossroads.

“Stood there in the blood of the Divine she was, just like at Kirkwall.”

Fenris fought back a growl. When he had reign on his temper he said quietly, “The Champion did no such thing.”

“What do you know, knife…” he stopped as Fenris gave him a flat stare. Nothing overtly threatening, but when the peddler truly saw _him_ and not an elf he subsided.

_Danarius’… gift does have its uses,_ he thought with mordant humor as he said aloud, “I was in Kirkwall at the time, Serah. Champion had nothing to do with the Chantry explosion, and executed the mage who _did_.” The last came out more harshly than intended. Three years was not enough distance it seemed.

The peddler and his audience stared at him dumbfounded. A younger woman looked up and offered diffidently, “But Serah, they found her in the ruins. The Champion was the only one alive.”

Fenris sighed and realized he’d said too much. “I have nothing else for you, mistress, but to say the Champion would never do such a thing.” With those words he turned and walked away, mind racing.

_I need more reliable information. Far too many people could think the same as that fool peddler, and Haven is an armed camp._ The elf shook his head. _Why is nothing ever simple with you, Hawke?_

* * *

 

Fenris made his way toward Haven as rumors of smaller tears in the Veil surfaced. He refused to repeat his mistake with the peddler, no matter how slanderous the gossip about Hawke became. But three days after the Breach appeared everything changed once again.

Another explosion rocked the land as brilliance filled the skies. When it was over Fenris realized that the Breach was no longer growing. He quickened his steps, strangely certain his friend had a hand in this turn of events.

* * *

 

A day and a half out from Haven, Fenris stopped at a small croft to barter for supplies. He kept his hood up as to not draw attention, and thankfully the farmer didn’t look too hard. But when the haggling was done the man asked him a strange question.

“Going to Haven to see the Herald, Serah?”

“The who?”

The farmer’s tone became one of awe. “The Herald of Andraste. Our Lady led her from the Fade so she could heal the sky. She stopped the Breach from growing.”

Fenris was almost certain of the answer as soon as he asked the question. “Does the Herald have a name?”

“Miriam Hawke, Serah. The blessed Champion of Kirkwall herself!”

The elf wasn’t sure if he wanted to laugh at how fickle people were or the fact that Hawke somehow managed to get caught up in such tremendous events… again.

“Yes,” he answered without a trace of laughter, “I’m going to see the Herald.”


End file.
